| Abstract |
Purpose - Global economic integration, technological change, the rise of digital opportunities and a new and sophisticated demand for products and services are creating a multitude of new opportunities and business options for firms and organizations. Accordingly, they are increasingly challenged to develop more and more renewed strategic, management and knowledge models, approaches, tools and techniques to satisfy effectively customers and to improve performance and sustainability. Although these scenarios characterize all the economic activities, this is particularly true for some industries more involved to face these transformations: it is the case of the banking sector. In fact, in the last decade, in a regulatory framework changing and under an high competitive pressure, banking organizations are revisiting and expanding their traditional borders and modalities to do business, trying to re-think their internal structures and to integrate more effectively places and channels, new services, new technologies, customers' wants and cost-reduction needs. The aim of the paper is then to examine the new strategic, management and knowledge models elaborated and adopted in the banking sector in the Italian context. The relationships among these models and the business performance of the main banking organizations are identified and analyzed. Five successful experiences related to the adoption of new strategic, management and knowledge models are introduced and discussed. Design/methodology/approach - To support our arguments we adopt a multiple-case studies methodologies. We provide the case examples of Banca Fineco, Azimut, Banca Fideuram, Banca Mediolanum and Banca Generali which recently have effectively planned and implemented innovative strategies and models aimed to activate and support a sustainable growth of their business. Originality/value - This paper contributes to further develop our comprehension about the importance to elaborate and implement new strategic, management and knowledge models in a very relevant business sector such as the banking one. The analysis of the case-examples shows in particular how some Italian banking organizations - often considered too small to compete in the capitals global competition - have been able to elaborate and successfully implement new mechanisms to guarantee performance and sustainable growth. Practical implications - The paper provides implications for future research and useful insights for management. However, further and detailed case studies are called to improve understanding of the phenomena and the capacity to generalize insights and best practices. |
